Lost and Found
by Mealyna
Summary: In which Lee is found by a group of people in their mid twenties and is nursed back to health. But will he still be able to find Clementine? Better question. Will he want to? Rated T for cussing.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! I'm Mea and I'm dipping my feet into Tell-Tale games' Walking Dead universe. So this is my little story. Keep in mind, in my playthorugh Clem didn't kill Lee and he just sort of went unconscious against the wall. For me that left things open and a chance to play with possibilities.** **Any way, enjoy and leave a review.**

* * *

"Stay back, bud." Shei waved her hand at her eleven year old brother. The blonde haired, hazel eyed boy watched, his eyes wary, as his twenty two year old sister crept quietly up to the man next to the heater. A Walker lay dead on the floor just before them. Shallow breaths came from inside the man's chest and Beaux suddenly had a sinking feeling.

"Shei," He whispered cautiously, even as the brunette woman drew her knife. "What if he was left there on purpose? What if he's like..." The boy trailed off and looked to the side, unwilling to finish his thought.

Shei ignored him and deftly stepped over the dead Walker. Wetting her lips with the tip of her tongue she crept forward and nudged his with her worn sneakers. The mans head lolled to the other side of his neck and he gave a feeble sort of moan, but otherwise kept still. She noted one of his amrs had been halphazardly lopped off. Pressing her luck she pressed two fingers to the skin of his neck. He was on fire, but she felt a pulse. It was weak.

"Beaux!" She hissed at her brother. "Beaux, quick! Water! He's alive!"

* * *

Lee felt like he'd been hit by a truck. Scratch that. Like he'd been hit by a truck, doused in gasoline, and set on fire. He forced his eyes open and groaned at the light. Quickly scrunching his eyelids shut again, he tried to remember what was happening and where he was. He remembered being bitten, a race to find Clementine, having Christa chop his arm off, that crazy man who wanted to kidnap Clem- Clem! His eyes flew open again and he sat blot upright. A move he instantly regretted. The moment he forced his body awake, that dull hit-by-a-truck feeling swept over him and nearly caused him to fall backward again.

"Gracie says you should rest." Lee looked over, startled, at the blonde haired white-boy looking at him. He was leaning against a counter and, with a quick sweep of his surroundings, Lee figured he was in some kind of high class RV. Looking back at the kid, Lee surveyed him. The kid couldn't be much older than Clementine, blonde, and hazel eyed. The kid was watching him with a mix of mild interest and caution.

"Who are you? And where am I? Where's Clementine?" The questions had to be ripped from his mouth and for the first time that day Lee noted how thirsty he was. He tried clearing his throat. The boy moved to the counter and opened the cabinet below. Producing a water bottle from inside, the boy offered it to him. "Thanks," Lee rasped as he popped the top and drank.

"I'm not supposed to be talking to you." The boy responded, as he pulled himself up to sit on the edge of the counter. "But I have my pistol so I'm not afraid."

Lee gave the kid an annoyed glance. "If you aren't supposed to be talking to me, why are you?"

The kid shrugged and began swinging his legs. "I'm bored and I don't want to listen to my sister and her friends argue."

"Well, where are your parents?"

"Dead." The boy's bored manor suddenly switched to uncomfortable and he quickly changed the subject. "I'm Beaux by the way. You're in mine and my sister's RV. We're camped up in the woods, with some friends, a ways outside of Savanah. It's overrun with the dead." The boy made a face and Lee couldn't help but agree with him.

"I'm Lee." Lee offered and Beaux nodded. "Listen, Beaux, how did-"

The RV door was kicked in and Beaux's face paled. A young woman with dark brown hair pulled up into a ponytail glared at Beaux. Lee noticed tears glistening at the corners of her eyes.

"Dammit Beaux! Ju-just, just dammit!" The woman half sobbed half growled. "What did I tell you?!"

Beaux slipped off the counter. Lee stifled a laugh. The woman was short, he realized. Either that or the kid was tall. Maybe both. But even as he towered over this woman, Beaux looked as small as a bug.

"I'm sorry, Shei. I was just bored is all."

The woman pulled Beuax into a hug and Lee looked away, fearing he was intruding on a family moment.

"I don't want to loose you like we did..." Lee heard the woman trail off and turned back toward the two, only to come face to face with a pair of dark brown eyes. "Up are you? How'd you feel?"

Lee pulled his head as far back as his sitting arangements would allow and was relieved when the girl reered back herself. "I feel like shit." He responded truthfully.

The woman crossed her arms over her chest. She smirked- actually smirked- at him. "You looked like shit when we found you. Still do, kinda."

"Thanks."

She smirked again. "I'm Shei. You've met my little brother Beaux-"

"Not the little one, is he?" Lee fired back at her and she smirk tunred into a grin, but she otherwise ignored him.

"Out in the camp are Gracie, Edgar, Charlotte, and Don. Gracie's the one that patched you up by the by, so make sure you thank her, other wise..." Shei broke off and shook her head. "Anyway, welcome and watch yourself when you go out. Edgar and Don are stupidly over protective of 'their' girls and don't trust you."

"Big surprise." She grinned at him again and Beaux walked into the back of the RV. Lee swung his legs over the edge of the couch and leaned forward, resting his weight on his good arm. "Can I ask you something Shei?"

"A question for a question." Lee gave her a strange look and she shrugged. "Means yes, but I get to ask you one for every question you ask me."

Lee nodded slowly. "That's fair. Now, how'd we get out of Savannah?"

"We took the RVs."

"No I mean, it was overrun by Walkers."

"Second verse, same as the first."

"You're a strange woman." When she shrugged he shook his head and sighed. "You mean to tell me that an RV just charged through a horde of Walkers?"

"You haven't seen the outside of the RVs yet." She grinned. "And that's two questions you owe me."

"Go ahead."

Shei leaned against the counter behind her and seemed to think for a bit. "Why'd you kill that senator?"

Lee blinked at her. And when her face remained nuetral and impassive, he blinked again. She knew? How could she have known? Had she followed the media before shit hit the fan? He must have been silent too long because she snapped her fingers infront of his face. "He slept with my wife."

It was Shei's turn to blink slowly. "That's rough buddy."

"Thanks?"

"Yup, now. How'd you get in that little room anyway?" She tilted her head and frowned. "You were half dead and missing a limb when we found you. Hell I was terrified you might jump up and bite me, or worse, my brother."

"I... was bitten." Lee confessed. "I had to have my arm amputated in hopes that it'd slow down. Apparently it stopped it."

"Yeah, but who ever chopped you up and attempted to patch you up did a shit job at both. According to Gracie, you were fighting off a severe bacterial infection. She was yelling something about someone not cauterizing the wound and a severed nerve? Any way if you want your medical report, ask her." Shei shook her head.

"Did you see a little girl on your way out?"

Shei frowned. "Seen a lot of dead ones."

"Did an of them have a purple cap?"

She gave him a sideways look. It spoke volumes of her curiosity and suspicion. But Lee found he didn't care. He needed to know what happened to Clem. He needed to know those things didn't get her.

"Sorry Lee. No caps on any of em."

LEe sighed and leaned against the back of the couch. He waved his hand knowing Shei was going to ask two more questions and just wanting it over with so he could make his demand. He needed to find Clem or at least her body. What happened with his arm could wait.

Shei, for her part, didn't disappoint, but was surprising. Instead of a question about his past, or his motives like he'd been expecting, she asked with a grin;

"How do you feel about dogs?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't any part of Tell Tales Walking Dead. I do own my OCs. No profit was made on this story. Please read and review. **

* * *

Shei stretched her arms and back as she stood up from fixing the protective grill on the front of her RV. She sighed heavily. They had been a very good idea, but required constant maintanince. Especially since Savannah. She was worried that one day the grills that allowed them to plow throught hordes of undead might break beyond repair and then where would they be? Shei worried her lower lip between her teeth and crossed her arms over her chest. She had to protect her family.

Shei cast a look around the camp. Recently her family had expanded from her brother and her two closest friends plus their husbands and her dog to include a one armed, thirty six year old former teacher who had been convicted of murder. Gracie and Charlotte hadn't been thrilled with her decsion to save the man, hell Charlie had her working double duty on both RVs, but she stood by her choice. She grinned as she watched her brother chase Cleo around the campsite, Lee watching from the steps infront of her RV. Charlotte was busy trying to roast the wild turkey they had caught earlier and failing horribly. Gracie and Edgar were inside the other RV; Shei could only guess at their activities. Don was off to the side taking stock of their ammo and reserves.

Shei smiled and bent back to fixing the grill. A firm hand on her shoulder a little while later startled a yelp out of her. Quickly she knocked the hand off her shoulder and drew her knife from her boot, preparing to sink the blade into the side of her attackers head. She was met with a shocked Lee, holding his hand up in a placating gesture. She sighed heavily and bent to resheath her knife.

"Dammit Lee, you can't do that." She grumbled. "Announce yourself."

Lee lowered his arm and seemed unsure of what to do with himself. "You, ah, weren't kidding about the security of your vehicles."

She raised an eyebrow. "I'm glad I have your approval."

He gave a weak grin. "You modify them yourselves?"

She nodded. "When our group vacation in Florida went FUBAR, we holed ourselves up in a mechanic garage for a few days. When we figured out we were going to starve ourselves out before this plague was over, Ed and I decided to read manuals and start modifing them to protect us."

"You all seem pretty young."

She chuckled. "Listen Lee, around here, dancing around the bush with questions isn't appreciated. Be direct. If you want to know our ages, or anything else, just ask." Her eyes rolled over to check on Beaux. He was passed out in the grass by the fire and Charlotte. It looked like the two were laughing and joking while Cleo sniffed around by Beaux's shoes.

"Just trying to avoid your 'question for a question' rule." She swiveled her attention back to Lee and found him smirking at her. She grinned at him.

"My brother was in the RV with us.I have to say and do stupid shit around him."

"Tying to keep a sense of normalcy?" He seemed disapproving. She glared at him.

"Look. Since my parents got the chomp, I've had to worry about my brother's safety and well being realitvly on my own. Charlie, Ed, Gracie, and Don have helped with teaching him how to hunt, use a gun, gut and cook an animal, and generally take care of himself. If I want to take a few moments of silly family time in this fucked up world, I fukken will. And you can go flog your log for all I care." With that she turned and busied herself with the RV's care again.

* * *

Lee blinked at Shei's outburst. She had certainly proven, in the short time they had been aquainted, to have many conflicting moods. Joking and perfectly at ease one moment and then furious the next. Now she seemed determined to ignore him and fiddle with her RV. Lee back peddled and looked over toward Charlotte and Beaux. The two seemed relaxed as they discussed dinner. Lee walked over to them.

"Can we try to find a deep frier?" Beaux was asking. "So we can have fried turkey like my dad used to make?"

"I'll keep an eye out," The small sandy blonde girl laughed. "But really its up to your sister."

Beaux pouted and Lee felt a small smile slide across his face. Beaux certainly did seem like a normal kid. Hell, aside from the upgraded RVs and weapons, it looked like a normal family camping trip. After everything that had happened and everything he had seen he didn't wholly approve.

Beaux glanced up and noticed him. He waved and scrambled to his feet. "Hey Lee!" He chirruped. "Are you hungry? Charlie says the food'll be ready soon."

Lee looked over at Charlotte who gave him a curt nod. "Say, Beaux, can you go get an ammo count from Don? I need to know if we need to make a trip into a city for more by tomorrow." Beaux nodded and ran off. Lee watched him, then looked up. Shei was watching her brother with a soft expression on her face and Lee almost felt bad. He turned back to Charlotte and found her watching him warily.

"I saw your argument with Shei." Well, apparently this group really was direct. "I dunno what it was about, but try and not do it again. You're staying in her RV since she has the most room and she's pretty vindictive when she wants to be."

"Right, thanks." Lee offered a friendly smile.

Charlotte continued to glare icily at him. "Look, I'm not doing you a kindness. I can and will be civil, but right now the only two in your camp here are Shei and Beaux, and Beaux only because Shei told him to play nice."

Lee blinked. No matter how many times people had turned out to be distrusting of him, it still stung. "Right. Why'd you guys pick me up anyway then?"

Charlotte shrugged. "Shei's stubborn and doesn't like leaving the living in the hands ofthe dead. We've rescued a few people actually."

"Yeah and what happened to them?" Lee asked suddenly remembering the St. Johns.

"They proved 'dangerous to Beaux's well-being' and Shei found a relitively safe spot and dumped them with a handful of supplies."

"Awful nice of her considering the circumstances." Lee commented and Charlotte nodded. "She seems really... protective of her brother."

Charlotte was silent as she fiddled with the spit the turkey was speared on. "Ok, heres the deal. We all watch out for Beaux. Shei, Gracie and I have known each other since middle school. Her family has always been very important to her. And because of this shit," Charlotte spread her arms. "Most of her family is gone. Her parents, her husband, her baby, her...sisters." Charlotte looked away. "Her sisters' passing was recent. Beaux is all she has left." She looked back at him. "Look we've all seen some messed up shit. No denying that. But just... don't question how she treats him. She's flipped out on us." Charlotte shook her head.

"We've all lost so much." Lee agreed looking over to where Don was showing a rifle to Beaux, when Shei walked over to the both of them and wiped her hands on the back of her brother's shirt. Her brother turned to her and made a face and Don and Shei started laughing. "So by that information, I take it she's the leader then?"

"What Shei? Nah, Shei hates that sort of pressure. Duties are divvied between us. Look, just keep your nose clean and don't harm Beaux or any of us and we won't have a problem. We'll get your duties sorted in the morning."

And like that Lee was dismissed.

* * *

Gracie wasn't completely sure about having a convicted felon with them. And she knew Charlie wasn't at all thrilled with the idea. But Shei rarely did reckless things with out a reason, so they went with it. As long as Shei kept an eye on him. But as they carved the slightly overcooked turkey, Gracie could sense the tension radiating from the small group. She glanced over at Charlie, and the blonde rolled her eyes and shook her head, mouthing 'later' at her. For his part Lee Everett was considerably polite. He made idle talk with the group, asking questions about where they were from, what they did before, how long did it take to modify the RVs. It was clear Edgar was firmly on hers and Charlotte's side, not trusting the man and giving away as few details as possible. But Don... Gracie shook her head.

"Yeah man, I'm fluent in Japanese."

Don was Don. A typical nice guy. Beaux was eager as well, asking questions about Lee's life. Shei however was noticeably silent and Lee seemed to avoid talking to her altogether. After the bird was mostly gone and the rest was cut away and put into their reserves they took up cleaning up the campsite and seeing the fire went out slowly. Gracie dragged Charlie to the side.

"What the fuck is going on?"

Charlie blinked. "What?"

"Lee. One minute Shei's all gung ho and defending the guy, now she's not even acknowledging he's alive."

"Oh, they got into an argument this morning. But its ok."

Gracie rolled her eyes. "No, its not fucking ok Charlotte, this isn't a videogame that we can just turn off. You saw what happened when we let our guard down and kept someone we knew wasn't trustworthy with us. What if that happens again?"

"Look I agree with you. But you know how Shei is. Besides if she really doesn't trust him, she'll wake us up at the asscrack of dawn and we'll dump his body out here."

A cough came from behind them and both women jumped and turned, readying their weapons. It was Shei. Raising her eyebrows at them like they were children. They relaxed and silence, broken only by the clattering of camp clean up, enveloped them.

"So who's got first shift tonight?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Telltale's Walking Dead. Nonprofit was made on this fic. Please enjoy.**

* * *

Lee wasn't sure what woke him. Maybe he was just tired of sleeping. He threw his legs over the couch that had been designated as his bed. It was still dark. And then he heard it. A soft scuffling from somewhere near the door.

"Hello? Shei? Beaux?" He whispered as he rose to his feet. He went maybe four steps when he tripped and fell. A loud yelp followed by whimpering and wriggling underneath him indicated he tripped over Cleo. "Jesus!" Lee rolled off the dog and listened as the dog scrambled toward the back of the RV. Just as he heard the dog hit her head on the door, it flew open and Shei appeared, shotgun leveled at him.

"By The Lord and Lady." Shei breathed as she lowered her weapon. "Lee. What the fuck?"

"I heard something by the door." Lee defended. He saw her shake her head and went on, incensed. "I was thinking about you and your brother! Since I'm out here I'm your first line of defense! If a walker got in here and your brother came out before you and got bit how would you feel?"

Shei sighed heavily and walked past him to the cab of the RV. "What are you even doing up?"

"Dont know. Couldn't sleep." He heard her as she dropped into the drivers seat and sighed. "Heard scratching by the door, went to check it out and tripped over your damn mutt."

He was spared her retort by the crackling of a radio. "DC to Marvel, come in Marvel. Over."

His brows furrowed and he opened his mouth to ask but Shei had already started talking. "This is Marvel, go ahead. Over."

"The fuck is going on in your RV?! Over."

From the moonlight streaming in from the front of the RV Lee watched as Shei's silhouette turned her head toward him. "Tripped over the dog getting to the toilet. Sorry DC. Requesting update on conditions."

Lee approached the cab as he listened to the girls' technical chatter about the conditions around the makeshift campsite. He found it hard to not be impressed. They had fortified the vehicles, making makeshift mobile bases out of them and coordinated their plans through radio transmissions. He still hadn't gotten their direct ages, but the couldn't be much more than twenty, with the exception of Beaux.

"Roger that DC. Be prepared to move out in an hour." Shei clicked off the radio. He watched her run a hand through her hair. "Hey Lee?"

"Yeah?"

"Something's been bugging me. Why'd you ask about a little girl in a ball cap?"

Lee shifted uncomfortably. He really should bring it up sooner rather than later. "I'm looking for my little girl."

"Daughter?"

"Adopted." Lee lied, but thought it might as we'll be true. Clem was as good as his daughter.

"Hmm." Shei didn't believe him, that much was clear, but for her part made no comment. "How old?"

"Recently turned 9."

"What's her name?"

Lee smiled with pride. "Clementine. Went by Clem. She was a smart girl. Brave too." He frowned. "I got bit looking for her when she got kidnapped. A friend chopped my arm off and when I found her I was woozy."

"From the blood loss."

"Maybe. Thought I was a goner and sent her ahead in search of some friends to keep her safe. I couldn't... protect her." He sighed and they fell into silence. And then she started humming. And then the humming turned into singing.

"In a cavern, in a canyon, excavating for a mine, dwelt a miner, forty-niner, and his daughter - Clementine." He had about a minute to note she had a decent voice before his ire set in.

"Stop that." He demanded. She did not.

"Oh my Darling, oh my Darling, oh my Darling Clementine. Thou art lost and gone forever. Dreadful sorry, Clementine."

"Stop it." Lee felt himself grinding his teeth. Still she sang.

"Light she was and like a fairy, and her shoes were number nine. Herring boxes without topses; sandals were for Clementine. Drove she ducklings to the water every morning just at nine. Hit her foot against a splinter. Fell into the foaming brine."

"Knock it off!" He was desperate to get her to quiet. She ignored him.

"Ruby lips above the water, blowing bubbles soft and fine. But alas, I was no swimmer. So I lost my Clementine. How I missed her! How I missed her! How I missed my Clementine. Till I kissed her little sister. And forgot my Clementine."

"Please, please stop." Lee begged. His heart hurt and thoughts whirled in his head. What if Clem was hurt somewhere and needed his assistance? If she was hurt he'd never forgive himself. And still Shei tormented him.

"Then the miner, forty-niner, soon began to peak and pine. Thought he oughter join his daughter. Now he's with his Clementine. In a churchyard near the canyon, where the myrtle doth entwine, there grow roses and the posies, fertilized by Clementine."

"SHUT UP!"

"In my dreams she still doth haunt me. Robed in garments, soaked in brine; then she rises from the water and I kiss my Clementine." Shei finished and twisted herself so she was operating the controls of the RV.

"Why?"

"Don't ever question my skills as a guardian again. Don't even hint at it. No disapproving looks, no taking tones with me, nothing." And with that Shei started the RV.

It had been a couple weeks after that before Shei had forgotten the incident entirely. And Lee felt himself slowly settleing in once she did. All of them were smart, and clearly resourceful, and while Lee suspected it had something to do with their current situation he was always surprised by the way they'd handle it. Even when it came to gas stations they had figured out how to set up a system to keep the RVs fully fueled. Edgar still didn't trust him and he got the feeling that, although she tended to his missing arm frequently, niether did Gracie. But once it became apparent that he wasn't out to hurt Beaux, both Shei and Charlotte were nicer.

Soon they even trusted him with some of their camping rituals, never leaving him completely alone in case he needed assistance. Lee was annoyed, not wanting to be treated like a cripple, until Shei had grinned at him and said that they were only doing it beacuse he needed physical therapy. So he learned how to hunt, defend, and care for himself using one arm and he was pleased that after a few months of that Don had gone out to one of the cities they were near and had scavenged a prosthetic for him. Don hadn't told him where it came from exactly and he wasn't sure he really wanted to know, but Gracie cleaned and steralized it for him. After that he relearned everything with the his 'new' arm.

He hadn't forgotten Clem. Far from it. He was constantly on the look out for her, Omid, and Christa. But since the RVs couldn't go off road for very long, he never caught sight of them. They did meet a few more people, but they never stayed longer than a week. Shei had deemed them untrustworthy and had given them supplies before dropping them off someplace relatively safe. Lee caught on quickly that everything the group did they did for the sake of Beaux. In fact, they were able to move between states quickly, but they stayed in one place for a few weeks or longer, often returning if it was close enough. All of his skills were learned and refined alongside Beaux.

Before long a few months had passed and they were checking maintinance on the RVs at a makeshift camp. Edgar was checking the engines and undercarriages and Shei had taken the vehicles security as her personal project. Charlotte and Don had gone off hunting and Gracie was taking inventory of both medical supplies and general goods. Beaux and Cleo were lounging in the grass. Lee watched them for a minute before shaking his head.

"Hey Beaux, come here for awhile." He called and Gracie looked up sharply from her count. Beaux walked over looking almost mulish.

"Did I forget to do something?" The eleven year old asked uncertainly.

"Nah, bud. But just how much do you remember about the American Revolution?"

Beuax's face paled underneath his freckles. "Oh man. You aren't about to start up school again are you?"

Lee grinned. "Come on, Beaux, those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it."

"He's right you know, buddy." Shei came around the front of the RV and out of the corner of his eye he saw Gracie give a small grin and go back to her work. "Say Lee weren't you a teacher?"

Beaux groaned. "Come ooon Shei!"

After the groaning from Beaux, he started his lecture and was surprised that Shei had started listening in. She even asked questions and made comments. Beaux settled in after seeing his sister take interest and for an hour they held a mock class. Everyone was absorbed in the lesson after awhile that no one noticed her until it she was in the camp.

"Everyone freeze!" Lee looked around to see a teenage girl, dirty and a mess. She was pointing one of their handguns at them with one hand. "Y'all are gonna give me everything you've got."

Shei snorted. "Hun, do you even know what you're holding?"

"Yeah, you stupid ass bitch. It's a gun." The girl turned it toward Shei. "Imma shoot you with it if you don't hand over everything you got."

Lee glanced over at Gracie and Edgar and was surprised to see both of them back to work on their projects, niether of them seemingly concerned about the girl and her stolen weapon. He looked back to Shei. Even she was calm about the situation. The girl seemed to notice that to because she started to become agitated.

"I said freeze, you fucks!" She shouted turning toward Gracie and Edgar. "I will fukken shoot you!"

The moment the girl turned away, Shei moved faster than fast. She stepped to the side of the girl and grabbed her wrist with one arm and took the firearm back. Once she had the gun, she seized the girls throat.

"Lesson one you stupid shit," Shei growled and inch from the girl's face. "Learn how to hold the gun you plan on using or you'll shatter every bone in your arm. That one handed shit? Ain't gonna fly. Lesson two." She hit a release trigger on the side of the gun and an empty mag fell to the ground. "Make sure the gun is loaded. Three only draw your weapon if you intend to shoot it. Four. Never ever take on more people than you can handle, and make sure the area doesn't have hidden enimies." The girl was panicking as rustling came from the bushes and Charlotte and Don emerged their rifles trained on the struggling girl. Shei tossed her to the ground carelessly and the girl rubbed at her neck. "Gracie, some bandages and one of the lesser amounts of peroxide. I also need a can of peaches and two peices of our left over venison."

Gracie made a face, but complied. Charlotte and Don moved around the girl their rifles still trained on her. Shei crossed to talk quietly to Gracie and Lee got up to join them.

"Shei, you aren't just gonna send this girl packing are you?" He demanded.

Gracie and Shei glared at him. "Lee you've been with us long enough to know how we operate. She's a danger to Bea- to the group." Shei argued with him.

Lee placed his hand on his hip. "She's a teenager!"

"A teenager that waved a gun at my family!"

"Shei!" Charlotte called insistantly. They turned and found the girl running back into the bushes.

"Let her go." Shei grumbled. "Put the weapons and ammo on lock. If she comes back toss a bag of supplies at her and send her away again."

"What if she comes back with more people?" Edgar demanded.

Shei paused and looked at the direction the girl had fled in. "A girl walking around like that? Nah. She's on her own."


	4. Chapter 4

_**Please forgive me. I had to think of something climatic and then force my self to do it. Please forgive me. I am so sorry. **_

_**As always I own nothing.**_

* * *

The teenager never did come back and the rations set aside for her were integrated back into the main arsenal of medicine and food. Lee thought he and Shei were going to be the ones fighting. After all, the girl was more interested in doing right by her brother than the group as a whole and that really irked him. But to his own surprise it was Gracie that cornered Shei. The two had started squabbling over little things at first; Shei left a wrench out over night, Gracie forgot to clean a skillet properly. They simmered down in the end thanks to Charlotte who always stepped in and distracted them. Then the arguments grew.

"What the hell do you mean peroxide is low- we just made a run into a city yesterday for some?! What the fuck are you doing with it?"

"Goddammit Shei, you didn't get any yesterday! Something about being 'picked clean' or are you keeping your own private reserves?"

The group had been quietly going about their every day tasks, and for Lee that had included slapdash history lessons for Beaux, when the 'DC' RV had burst open. Shei was clutching her arm and looking incredulous and Gracie was wearing a sweater and a snarl. Blood seeped between Shei's fingers and Beaux gave an audible gasp. As the adults rose ready to diffuse the situation, it became worse.

"Why the hell would I do that?"

"In case Beaux needs it. Face it, you aren't interested in helping us all out. Just your fucking brother! Fuck everyone else! You lost your family, wah, wah, wah! We ALL lost our family- this GROUP is our family!" Gracie had finally said it. "But lately you haven't been acting that way!"

Shei seemed startled but attempted to retaliate. "I have done-"

"No you haven't!" Gracie had graduated to screaming. "You brought a fucking convict amoung us Shei. A goddamn convict! He murdered people! You put our group at a huge risk! Especially when we figured out he lost his arm because he was bitten! Your fucking bleeding heart gives out supplies to people _you_, not the rest of us, deem to dangerous and you send them on their way! With our supplies! What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

But apparently Gracie didn't want to hear what was wrong with Shei because she turned on her heel and stalked off, slamming the RV door behind her. They all stood their a moment, Shei with a still bloody arm, staring at the door in shock. Then Edgar went forward and entered, in an attempt to console his wife, casting a glare at Shei as he did so.

"Yeah well fuck you anyway." Shei mumbled looking down and plodding toward her own RV. She opened the door with a jerk and slammed it behind her. Lee stood and swiftly ended his lesson with Beaux. The boy joined the ammo check and gun cleaning with Charlie and Don. Lee sighed. On one hand he could finally make nice by taking Gracie's side. On the other, Shei had been polite to him,with the exception of when he made her mad. Even then it took a lot. He sighed and trudged over to Shei's RV and opened the door, not in the mood to have his head bitten off by Gracie.

Shei was standing over the dry mostly unused sink, pouring clear liquid over her bloody arm. Lee gasped.

"You have been holding back rations!" He accused angrily.

Shei looked up and blinked at him then looked down at her arm and snorted. "No, this is just my water rations for the evening. Not as good as peroxide would have been but...you know." She shrugged and reached for the towel next to her. Dabbing her arm with it she pressed firmly and winced.

Lee leaned against the counter top. He crossed his arm with his prosthetic and shook his head. "How'd you get that anyway?"

"One of the protective grills was loose. Standard shit. I was tightening it up and I wasn't paying attention. Cut my arm. It's not deep." She defended. "It just stings like a motherfucker."

Lee shook his head again. "Why are you and Gracie always at each other's throats lately? " He finally asked. I thought y'all were such good friends."

Shei's head drooped. She unwound the towel from her arm and dabbed gingerly at the cut. It wasn't bleeding anymore, Lee noticed, and looked more like a catscratch than anything else. She shook out the towle and grimaced. She opened her mouth to answer him but a rifle crack caught their atention. They dashed out the trailer and stopped dead in their tracks.

* * *

Shei was ready to kill. The knife strapped to her ankle inside her boot burned into her flesh as she took in the sight that greeted both her and Lee. She pegged the intruders as bandits but then quickly dashed that as they moved with a more practiced approach. Charlie, Gracie, Don, Edgar, and Beaux were kneeling in the grass, holding their hands behind their heads. Cleo was tied up by the firepit barking wildly.

A man with salt and pepper hair stepped forward and Shei pegged him as a leader of their group. He grinned what she assumed was supposed to be a charming and winning attitude. It would have worked if the man's demeanor didn't scream sociopath and her family didn't look like they were about to be executed military style.

"No why don't you folks come on down here and no one'll get hurt?"

Shei heard her brother's miniscule whimper. Her body tensed and her mind raced, seeking a way to win the fight. Lee grasped her arm with his good hand. She snarled at him. But his eyes told her to stay calm. She closed her eyes and grit her teeth. She turned back and raised her hands marching over to kneel beside her brother. Lee followed. The man grinned.

"Now that was a mighty smart choice folks." He gave an approving nod. "I see y'all are mighty well fortified here." He ran an eye over the RVs. "And y'all have been stock piling for quite sometime now. See heres where I offer y'all my deal." He stood before Cleo and the dog yapped and barked and growled at him. "You tell me where my people are, and I let y'all go. Minus a few supplies."

Charlie caught Shei's eye and gave her a bewlidered look. Shei shrugged. Lee was the one who spoke.

"We don't know what your talking about."

"That's a shame." The man drew his gun and as Shei realized what he was going to do, shot Cleo, right between her doggy eyes.

Beaux screamed, Charlie swore heavily and Grace spat at the man's feet. Shei tried to scramble forward in an attempt to get to her faithful companion. The butt of a gun made contact with Shei's skull and she crumpled.

By the time she woke up it was dark and something cool was being pressed against her forehead. She looked up into Gracie's worried face. "What happened?" She croaked.

"We finally managed to convince them we didn't know their friends." Gracie's relief was evident. "They took half of our medical supplies though along with a crate of ammo." Her voice dripped anger.

"I'm sorry."

"Jesus Shei- it wasn't your fault." Gracie turned away. "We should have taken your advice this afternoon and headed out of this area."

Shei was quiet. "You were right too. I haven't been looking out for everyone. I've been too worried about my brother."

Gracie snorted. "Close as we're gonna get to 'sorry' huh?"

Shei gave a feeble grin. "I guess so." There was still an unease to the way Gracie stood. "What? What aren't you telling me?"

Gracie hesitated. "We buried Cleo after they left. Beaux hasn't said a word since." Gracie turned to her. "I'm sorry Shei, we couldn't do anything."

She was quiet for a few minutes, before turning on her side and letting silent tears slide down her face.


End file.
